Wastewater Treatment

Data Table

Explanation

Many Thurston residents not only have their wastewater treated, but also see it processed and distributed back out as reclaimed water. LOTT Clean Water Alliance, a nonprofit corporation providing wastewater management services for homes and businesses in the Lacey, Olympia, and Tumwater area, and the City of Yelm both operate wastewater treatment facilities that produce reclaimed water. Thurston County has a long history of producing reclaimed water -  the City of Yelm's Water Reclamation Facility, built in the 1990s, was the first reclaimed water Class A facility and distribution system in the state.

LOTT treated an average of 13.66 million gallons per day (mgd) of wastewater in 2022, down from a peak of 14.62 mgd in 2017, and produced an average of 1.56 million gallons per day of Class A reclaimed water. The City of Yelm treated an average of 0.48 million gallons per day in 2022 and produced an average of 0.22 millions of gallons per day of reclaimed water. 

"Class A" is a designation from the State Dept. of Ecology for water clean enough for public contact and most uses, except drinking. The City of Tumwater is one of the region’s largest consumers of reclaimed water, using up to 600,000 gallons of water per day for irrigation at the Tumwater Valley Golf Course.

Sources

LOTT Clean Water Alliance, City of Yelm